5 Things to Consider Before Your Next Review (Procurement Foundry Special)

Earlier this month, I shared with you an article from the Procurement Foundry community. At the time, I said that the site provides access to a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and insight for anyone in procurement, supply chain, and logistics.

In this excerpt from a Procurement Foundry article Mark Holyoake provides five useful tips on how procurement pros can prepare for their next review.

It’s interesting that when it comes to interviewing for a new job or having a performance review, almost everyone assumes the hot seat position. Meaning, that people enter these sessions with a unilateral mindset, in which the boss or person doing either the hiring or review is the only one who can ask questions.

The fact is that an interview, or more specifically, a review should be a two-way dialogue. There should be an open and productive exchange of information from both parties that leads to discovery and meaningful change.

To get the most from your review, here are the five things you need to consider beforehand.

Do I know how the review process works and what am I looking to accomplish?

It’s crucial to lay the groundwork for an open and honest discussion well before the meeting day.

• Does my boss know that I expect this conversation to be a two-way street? Are our goals for the meeting both clear?
• Have I documented my successes over the past year? Do I have a copy of my last review?
• Are negative comments common as part of this company’s review process? I.e., are they merely a way to frame key areas of development, or are they a cause for concern? What is my priority, only getting a good review or actually learning what I’m doing well, where I can improve, and establishing future expectations/growth opportunities?

Before sitting down, make sure you know what you want and are anticipating the discussion around asking for it.

What is my current job satisfaction?

Before a review, the obvious question to ask yourself is: ‘Do I want to be here?’ If you find you aren’t willing to put the effort in to prepare for your review, there is probably a more significant issue at stake. Consider the following:

• Am I challenged right now? Am I getting the support I need? Do I have the opportunity to learn and apply new skills? Is my company investing sufficiently in my professional development and training? e.g., further education and CPSM/SIG certification, conference fees, leadership training, etc. The stats would suggest that most companies are not.  What exactly do I need, why, and how much is that going to cost? Be prepared!
• Is my current company interested in, and investing in, the future of Procurement? Digital, AI, etc. What is likely to happen to my job in the face of these changes and emerging trends?  Conversely, what if the department is investing in absolutely nothing? How does my role change then?
• Is my current company willing and able to recognize and reward me for exceeding expectations?

Use the following link to read the rest of this article, and while there, check out the many other interesting articles and resources on the Procurement Foundry site.

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